“The best thing to do may sometimes be the hardest” With Robert Porter

I really wish there was more awareness on the of the amount of people that live on the streets. The homeless, who go days without having a roof over their head, always had me wondering about where their families are, or how they got like this. If they had a choice, they would not live […]

I really wish there was more awareness on the of the amount of people that live on the streets. The homeless, who go days without having a roof over their head, always had me wondering about where their families are, or how they got like this. If they had a choice, they would not live like that. There has to be a way for all children, men and women to eat and have a warm place to live without it being called a socialist program. Make it worthwhile, not worthless. We should all have that amazing feeling of bliss for giving a meal to someone or offering them a place to stay. They would like the same respect that we give each other. To have to ask another person for help is probably super hard. As they say, “Pride is always the last to fall!” Some people are so blinded by their riches or problems they don’t see that people have it worse off, and they forget about the people in need. If there was a nation-wide program that will encourage them to get back on their feet by offering life-coaches or self-help programs, we could look past our judgments and see the person, rather then their situation. We need a Pay-It-Forward program.

My favorite life quote is old, yet simple and is still popular today. I mean a song was even made about it by Mr. West better known as Kanye. “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger!” This statement was originally quoted by Friedrich Nietzsche. I mean, it’s in all aspects of life today. From work, politics, relationships, loss of love, and people in life in general this quote is fitting. But in all honesty, it works for me day in and day out. I strive for perfection, yet I know I’ll never be perfect. I make mistakes but I don’t let that be my end all be all. I’ve failed and messed up many times, from my personal life to building this company; But I won’t, I mean I won’t stop until everyone knows the name Karma the Game of Destiny. From codes, to buttons, to just it all coming together, it’s a journey and a story that I’m contributing to. The quote is saying that we’re going to mess up and we’re all going to have those days where we just want to give up or give in, but we can’t let anything get in our way; whether it’s towards life long goals or short term plans. “For that which does not kill us makes us stronger!” Living to fight another day means overcoming those battles, learning life lessons and gaining priceless knowledge. For me, I have become more of a well-rounded person, ultimately to become stronger mentally and physically. Life lessons; the more we experience, the more we absorb and observe, and the stronger we become.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Robert Porter. Robert is a Fintech and gaming/dating enthusiast and sees AR and VR not so much as the future but here today and now. Robert is also the co-founder of Karma the Game of Destiny and CEO of Volatile.vc. Karma the Game of Destiny has been gaining traction with over 50,000 app downloads and was mentioned in The Huffington Post.

Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I was inspired by Back to the Future. I was fascinated by the mechanics, tools, gadgets and concept of this movie; how technology is greater than us. Wall Street, Iron Man, Total Recall (the original with Arnold Schwarzenegger), The Matrix and most recently, Ready Player One have also inspired me. These movies have encouraged me to thrive in this industry and dream bigger. Before then, I have invested in BitCoin, taken computers apart to understand the mechanics, and began writing up business plans. This was when I knew that technology and finance were my calling. Also, making what I’ve seen on the screen, read, or the stories they told to me, have become reality.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your company?

One of the most interesting things that has happened to me since working on my company is that I have been getting more and more attention from my peers, as well as on LinkedIn. My connections have grown rapidly, and people whom are celebrities and executives from world renowned companies and corporations have been connecting with me. I am a person who is confident and know that I will be at that stage in my life where everyone knows my name, very soon, but it is reassuring and humbling to have celebrities and major business owners recognize my work and be so interested in it.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

One funny mistake that I made when I started my company (this project) was with the app itself. When I launched my game (with my buddy), we (thought) that we had checked the mechanics and accessibility to the game. Story: I was so excited about the launch of Karma the Game of Destiny that I, of course, asked my friends to download the game. No longer than five minutes later my phone started chiming off of the hook. I am thinking that I am going to get all of this positive feedback and get praised for my hard work. Low and behold, my friends were telling me that they could download the game but not use it! It was not working properly when they tried to create an avatar. In the future, I will be the first person to download the game and make sure that all of the schematics and parts are in working order before I get too hyped and have my friends download anything else.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

My company stands out because we are creating an experience, through technology, that is ahead of our time. We have created a multi-faceted experience where people can engage and interact with each other through Karma, The Game of Destiny. I want to set a trend in technology that no one has ever seen before and you will get a sense of nuance when you play and find love when using this game. We are creating a virtual world where you can be whomever you want. I am starting from the ground up, but I will continue to break boundaries. Yes, Karma the Game of Destiny has started out as 2-D technology project, but we are gradually moving into the 3-D realm and you will be able to get a heightened sense of this amazing app, by the use of AR/VR implementation and use of the map that will be seen all this year on the app.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

The one thing that I would tell my colleagues is to make sure that this is where you want to be and what you really want to do. Even if you make it to where you wish to be (which kind I have not) there’s always going to be some nay sayers even if 99% want you still leaves that 1% of people, haters whatever you want to fall them they will always exist and I have accepted that. . Being passionate about your craft is the most important quality and stay organized follows immediately after. Being persistent and patiently aggressive, for me that’s knowing to put the right amount of energy in one thing rather than another.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

The people who have helped me the most are my grandparents and my parents whom to this day continue to push me and challenge me to do better. My brother and sister who have followed behind my parents for their younger sibling, my big and little cousins and close friends from high school and college all play a role of keeping my head on straight. Always having someone to talk to, man that’s huge; we all need someone to confide in. Just when I have that feeling if I can’t go forward or I can’t get past a difficult task at hand I just think about my parents or their parents who sacrifice so much for me. For each generation that lead to me I may even just shed a tear or two and I use that emotion to push forward. Fact is my success is bigger than me and my family and friends belief means so much to me. I can’t let all that they did or gave up for me in any way, small or big go in vain. I really have an amazing group of people that I am honored to have around me. My colleagues at Brown Brothers Harriman have taught me as well, and have become friends that support me. I just hope I can show the same appreciation the day I reach my goals.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

I have used my success to bring goodness to the world by teaching youth, especially young black men and women, how to benefit from computer programming. I use every Thursday and Saturday afternoon, to go to the local libraries and public schools, in which I set an allotted time to show them how to use coding and web development. I encourage them to write down ideas that can be turned into apps and other programs and show them how to create business plans and inspire them to research information about saving and investing money, especially at their age. We sit together and use Microsoft Office programs like Excel and Word to manage and create their plans and get comfortable working with Mac computers, since their computer mechanisms are different from a Microsoft based computer.

Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story of how that was relevant to you in your life?

I really wish there was more awareness on the of the amount of people that live on the streets. The homeless, who go days without having a roof over their head, always had me wondering about where their families are, or how they got like this. If they had a choice, they would not live like that. There has to be a way for all children, men and women to eat and have a warm place to live without it being called a socialist program. Make it worthwhile, not worthless. We should all have that amazing feeling of bliss for giving a meal to someone or offering them a place to stay. They would like the same respect that we give each other. To have to ask another person for help is probably super hard. As they say, “Pride is always the last to fall!” Some people are so blinded by their riches or problems they don’t see that people have it worse off, and they forget about the people in need. If there was a nation-wide program that will encourage them to get back on their feet by offering life-coaches or self-help programs, we could look past our judgments and see the person, rather then their situation. We need a Pay-It-Forward program.

My favorite life quote is old, yet simple and is still popular today. I mean a song was even made about it by Mr. West better known as Kanye. “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger!” This statement was originally quoted by Friedrich Nietzsche. I mean, it’s in all aspects of life today. From work, politics, relationships, loss of love, and people in life in general this quote is fitting. But in all honesty, it works for me day in and day out. I strive for perfection, yet I know I’ll never be perfect. I make mistakes but I don’t let that be my end all be all. I’ve failed and messed up many times, from my personal life to building this company; But I won’t, I mean I won’t stop until everyone knows the name Karma the Game of Destiny. From codes, to buttons, to just it all coming together, it’s a journey and a story that I’m contributing to. The quote is saying that we’re going to mess up and we’re all going to have those days where we just want to give up or give in, but we can’t let anything get in our way; whether it’s towards life long goals or short term plans. “For that which does not kill us makes us stronger!” Living to fight another day means overcoming those battles, learning life lessons and gaining priceless knowledge. For me, I have become more of a well-rounded person, ultimately to become stronger mentally and physically. Life lessons; the more we experience, the more we absorb and observe, and the stronger we become.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me before I started my company” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. Sacrifice; people solemnly mention it, but the reality is there are only 24 hours in a day. I’m giving 6 hours to sleep and 12 hours for business and working a full time job to make ends meet. Being that as it may, I have less time for family and friends, and less time for a romantic relationship. Having people around you that will support you in these times is big, rather huge. So for me, I wish someone would of said, “You may lose time with loved ones and may have to make unexpected decisions. Some days you have to choose between establishing family and friends’ relationships and building your company.” Either way, we do not get time back, even though time is never ending. It can be a constant strain if you don’t have people around you that understand, support or believe in what your doing.

2. Removing Negativity. You never realize who brings negativity in your life or who’s really good or bad. Sometimes people see things in ways that may not actuality, until you take a step back and reveal the truth. The truth is scarier than telling a lie, but giving one solid truth is positive. People who are purely unhappy and negative like to bring other people down because of their misery. It can be hard to remove these people from your life, especially if they are ingrained in our day to day lives such as family members or friends for over years at a time. I wish someone would of said that you can not take everyone with you, or expect people to be on the same page as myself all of the time. If you surround yourself with positivity, you’ll mostly, be positive. When you surround yourself with negativity your likely to be just that.

3. Everyone will not have the same vision. I’ve always wondered why every word describes another word, even more freaky words can have more than one meaning. Well maybe not freaky, point is we all use these words to fit our narrative, yet one may not get you or understand what you’re saying. When it comes to having to build a company with a group of people whom you’re working with, there will be times that everyone will not see eye to eye and see things from their own perspective. It could be as simple as the mechanics of the brand, the mission statement, or product development. Everyone wants to work on what they feel is best for the company at the time. All in all, the vision for the company will not be projected if the ideas are not cohesive. Fortunately, there is always common ground in decision making. On the flip side, there can be an, “What I say goes!” attitude, which can be befitting in some cases and other cases not so good. This is just the co-founder talking, but seriously, the point is that we all have different visions and outlooks of how we feel the company should be run. In many ways, we are better for it. Instead of forcing someone to see it your way, expressing individual thoughts and molding them together can produce life-changing ideas. Honestly, everyone should not have the same vision, “Whenever you find yourself in the majority, it is time to reflect” as the great Mark Twain said. With that, we should accept that everyone will not always have the same ideas and perceptions but the goal is be the same, to succeed together as a company.

4. Energy usage. I wish someone had advised me on the amount of energy that is considered “normal” before it’s considered “over-extending” yourself. Truth is, there is no right amount of energy that is used when building your own company. Everyone is different. Yes, the text books will say learn this and learn that, but “real life” energy and experience is what makes us learn. You can give the same amount of energy as someone else within the company, and still come up short.. or you can have a way better product. On the other hand, someone else can put more energy into their work and make a lack luster product. There have been times when I did not sleep; working and working and working for hours, days at a time to get things done. Pushing and killing myself to the max because of what I thought was going full force. If I give the right amount (or all as I thought) of energy; things would just magically happen. But what I have learned is, it’s more than giving the same energy day in and day out, it’s being a consistent and persistent person that allows me to make it. Knowing what to put your time and energy into and knowing how to utilize it is very important. Overextending myself will only hurt me in the end, even when I make it. My health is very important, so for me, I wish advice about energy usage could have been given to me a little earlier. But I’m glad I learned for myself, seen it and have felt it.

5. The best thing to do may sometimes be the hardest. For example, letting someone go who is not detrimental but may not be appropriate at the time, may be a decision that may need to be made. Maybe the work may not fit presently and may not be beneficial for the overall experience for the company may be uneasy; these are decisions that may need to be apart of the day to day. It’s funny because I’ve read Sun Tzu, The Art of War, over 30 times since I was sixteen. Seeing is believing and getting into THOSE situations may make me view things from alternate perspectives. Sometimes it may be hard but it could be the best thing to do for the company. Outside of letting someone go there is sometimes people in your personal life whom may need the boot as well. There will constantly be things that make you question if or why but it’s in those moments where you have to be focus on the task at hand. There’s going to be various situations that will need a decision of high magnitude that will be hard because it could affect a person’s life, especially if you’ve built a actual friendship with them, but it’s what could be best for the company. But those tough choices will have to be made. There will be a ton of different situations that will give your mind and heart a “test” for it’s humanity. In the end what’s best for the company is and has to be the correct choice.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

You can follow us on Instagram karma the game of destiny, the app is available on the apple and google app stores and can follow me on LinkedIn. I do not have an personal Instagram or Facebook or any other social media for that matter outside of LinkedIn. I’m considering getting on Twitter and Instagram but I think I’m pretty far from doing that for the time being. Thanks for having me Cheers.

“I’d like to start a movement to rekindle our curiosity and care towards the human race” With David Echegoyen of Jet.com

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